One of the great privileges of being a member of The King's Singers is having access to the finest concert halls on the planet, and our venue in Lahti is no exception. Sibelius Hall, one of a generation of 21st century halls that have set the bar for acoustics and atmosphere, comes out near to the top, for me. Last time the KS were here I sadly missed the concert, as I was at home helping with a family emergency, so it was wonderful to return this time and take my place on-stage with the rest of the team. We performed with amplification, as we often do for the Great American Songbook project, so I thought I'd take the chance to write a bit about that. It can seem odd (both to us and to an audience) to use microphones when we have such great acoustics within which to work. The decision to use them has to be a positive one - some groups may use mics because they struggle to fill a large space, or to paper over cracks in their technique, but we will only use amplification to add to a performance. In this instance, we feel it's stylistically required by the repertoire, but we also use mics when we're performing with an orchestra, or when we're in a truly enormous space (think the amazing Conference Centre in Salt Lake City, with its 23,000 seat capacity). In this project, the microphones allow us to make a different sound and blend, to move around the stage more and to work with the lighting crew to create varying atmospheres throughout the night. It allows solo lines to be delivered in a way that is much closer to the early performances of these songs - and this lends authenticity to our approach. We still create the same KS sound, but boost it a little, rather than adding too much reverb. The aim is simply to boost our natural approach, to add flexibility. Don't worry, we're not about to make a switch into the realm of full-time amplified group. We love our Renaissance music and church programmes far too much for that. This is a rare foray into a different world, but one that we enjoy and, we hope, you do too!
One of the great privileges of being a member of The King's Singers is having access to the finest concert halls on the planet, and our venue in Lahti is no exception. Sibelius Hall, one of a generation of 21st century halls that have set the bar for acoustics and atmosphere, comes out near to the top, for me. Last time the KS were here I sadly missed the concert, as I was at home helping with a family emergency, so it was wonderful to return this time and take my place on-stage with the rest of the team. We performed with amplification, as we often do for the Great American Songbook project, so I thought I'd take the chance to write a bit about that. It can seem odd (both to us and to an audience) to use microphones when we have such great acoustics within which to work. The decision to use them has to be a positive one - some groups may use mics because they struggle to fill a large space, or to paper over cracks in their technique, but we will only use amplification to add to a performance. In this instance, we feel it's stylistically required by the repertoire, but we also use mics when we're performing with an orchestra, or when we're in a truly enormous space (think the amazing Conference Centre in Salt Lake City, with its 23,000 seat capacity). In this project, the microphones allow us to make a different sound and blend, to move around the stage more and to work with the lighting crew to create varying atmospheres throughout the night. It allows solo lines to be delivered in a way that is much closer to the early performances of these songs - and this lends authenticity to our approach. We still create the same KS sound, but boost it a little, rather than adding too much reverb. The aim is simply to boost our natural approach, to add flexibility. Don't worry, we're not about to make a switch into the realm of full-time amplified group. We love our Renaissance music and church programmes far too much for that. This is a rare foray into a different world, but one that we enjoy and, we hope, you do too!
One of the great privileges of being a member of The King's Singers is having access to the finest concert halls on the planet, and our venue in Lahti is no exception. Sibelius Hall, one of a generation of 21st century halls that have set the bar for acoustics and atmosphere, comes out near to the top, for me. Last time the KS were here I sadly missed the concert, as I was at home helping with a family emergency, so it was wonderful to return this time and take my place on-stage with the rest of the team. We performed with amplification, as we often do for the Great American Songbook project, so I thought I'd take the chance to write a bit about that. It can seem odd (both to us and to an audience) to use microphones when we have such great acoustics within which to work. The decision to use them has to be a positive one - some groups may use mics because they struggle to fill a large space, or to paper over cracks in their technique, but we will only use amplification to add to a performance. In this instance, we feel it's stylistically required by the repertoire, but we also use mics when we're performing with an orchestra, or when we're in a truly enormous space (think the amazing Conference Centre in Salt Lake City, with its 23,000 seat capacity). In this project, the microphones allow us to make a different sound and blend, to move around the stage more and to work with the lighting crew to create varying atmospheres throughout the night. It allows solo lines to be delivered in a way that is much closer to the early performances of these songs - and this lends authenticity to our approach. We still create the same KS sound, but boost it a little, rather than adding too much reverb. The aim is simply to boost our natural approach, to add flexibility. Don't worry, we're not about to make a switch into the realm of full-time amplified group. We love our Renaissance music and church programmes far too much for that. This is a rare foray into a different world, but one that we enjoy and, we hope, you do too!
One of the great privileges of being a member of The King's Singers is having access to the finest concert halls on the planet, and our venue in Lahti is no exception. Sibelius Hall, one of a generation of 21st century halls that have set the bar for acoustics and atmosphere, comes out near to the top, for me. Last time the KS were here I sadly missed the concert, as I was at home helping with a family emergency, so it was wonderful to return this time and take my place on-stage with the rest of the team. We performed with amplification, as we often do for the Great American Songbook project, so I thought I'd take the chance to write a bit about that. It can seem odd (both to us and to an audience) to use microphones when we have such great acoustics within which to work. The decision to use them has to be a positive one - some groups may use mics because they struggle to fill a large space, or to paper over cracks in their technique, but we will only use amplification to add to a performance. In this instance, we feel it's stylistically required by the repertoire, but we also use mics when we're performing with an orchestra, or when we're in a truly enormous space (think the amazing Conference Centre in Salt Lake City, with its 23,000 seat capacity). In this project, the microphones allow us to make a different sound and blend, to move around the stage more and to work with the lighting crew to create varying atmospheres throughout the night. It allows solo lines to be delivered in a way that is much closer to the early performances of these songs - and this lends authenticity to our approach. We still create the same KS sound, but boost it a little, rather than adding too much reverb. The aim is simply to boost our natural approach, to add flexibility. Don't worry, we're not about to make a switch into the realm of full-time amplified group. We love our Renaissance music and church programmes far too much for that. This is a rare foray into a different world, but one that we enjoy and, we hope, you do too!
One of the great privileges of being a member of The King's Singers is having access to the finest concert halls on the planet, and our venue in Lahti is no exception. Sibelius Hall, one of a generation of 21st century halls that have set the bar for acoustics and atmosphere, comes out near to the top, for me. Last time the KS were here I sadly missed the concert, as I was at home helping with a family emergency, so it was wonderful to return this time and take my place on-stage with the rest of the team. We performed with amplification, as we often do for the Great American Songbook project, so I thought I'd take the chance to write a bit about that. It can seem odd (both to us and to an audience) to use microphones when we have such great acoustics within which to work. The decision to use them has to be a positive one - some groups may use mics because they struggle to fill a large space, or to paper over cracks in their technique, but we will only use amplification to add to a performance. In this instance, we feel it's stylistically required by the repertoire, but we also use mics when we're performing with an orchestra, or when we're in a truly enormous space (think the amazing Conference Centre in Salt Lake City, with its 23,000 seat capacity). In this project, the microphones allow us to make a different sound and blend, to move around the stage more and to work with the lighting crew to create varying atmospheres throughout the night. It allows solo lines to be delivered in a way that is much closer to the early performances of these songs - and this lends authenticity to our approach. We still create the same KS sound, but boost it a little, rather than adding too much reverb. The aim is simply to boost our natural approach, to add flexibility. Don't worry, we're not about to make a switch into the realm of full-time amplified group. We love our Renaissance music and church programmes far too much for that. This is a rare foray into a different world, but one that we enjoy and, we hope, you do too!
One of the great privileges of being a member of The King's Singers is having access to the finest concert halls on the planet, and our venue in Lahti is no exception. Sibelius Hall, one of a generation of 21st century halls that have set the bar for acoustics and atmosphere, comes out near to the top, for me. Last time the KS were here I sadly missed the concert, as I was at home helping with a family emergency, so it was wonderful to return this time and take my place on-stage with the rest of the team. We performed with amplification, as we often do for the Great American Songbook project, so I thought I'd take the chance to write a bit about that. It can seem odd (both to us and to an audience) to use microphones when we have such great acoustics within which to work. The decision to use them has to be a positive one - some groups may use mics because they struggle to fill a large space, or to paper over cracks in their technique, but we will only use amplification to add to a performance. In this instance, we feel it's stylistically required by the repertoire, but we also use mics when we're performing with an orchestra, or when we're in a truly enormous space (think the amazing Conference Centre in Salt Lake City, with its 23,000 seat capacity). In this project, the microphones allow us to make a different sound and blend, to move around the stage more and to work with the lighting crew to create varying atmospheres throughout the night. It allows solo lines to be delivered in a way that is much closer to the early performances of these songs - and this lends authenticity to our approach. We still create the same KS sound, but boost it a little, rather than adding too much reverb. The aim is simply to boost our natural approach, to add flexibility. Don't worry, we're not about to make a switch into the realm of full-time amplified group. We love our Renaissance music and church programmes far too much for that. This is a rare foray into a different world, but one that we enjoy and, we hope, you do too!
One of the great privileges of being a member of The King's Singers is having access to the finest concert halls on the planet, and our venue in Lahti is no exception. Sibelius Hall, one of a generation of 21st century halls that have set the bar for acoustics and atmosphere, comes out near to the top, for me. Last time the KS were here I sadly missed the concert, as I was at home helping with a family emergency, so it was wonderful to return this time and take my place on-stage with the rest of the team. We performed with amplification, as we often do for the Great American Songbook project, so I thought I'd take the chance to write a bit about that. It can seem odd (both to us and to an audience) to use microphones when we have such great acoustics within which to work. The decision to use them has to be a positive one - some groups may use mics because they struggle to fill a large space, or to paper over cracks in their technique, but we will only use amplification to add to a performance. In this instance, we feel it's stylistically required by the repertoire, but we also use mics when we're performing with an orchestra, or when we're in a truly enormous space (think the amazing Conference Centre in Salt Lake City, with its 23,000 seat capacity). In this project, the microphones allow us to make a different sound and blend, to move around the stage more and to work with the lighting crew to create varying atmospheres throughout the night. It allows solo lines to be delivered in a way that is much closer to the early performances of these songs - and this lends authenticity to our approach. We still create the same KS sound, but boost it a little, rather than adding too much reverb. The aim is simply to boost our natural approach, to add flexibility. Don't worry, we're not about to make a switch into the realm of full-time amplified group. We love our Renaissance music and church programmes far too much for that. This is a rare foray into a different world, but one that we enjoy and, we hope, you do too!
